Assessment

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has
frequently been called the "The Nation's Report Card." It is the only national assessment
of what Americas students know and can do in various
subject areas.

As a result of the "No
Child Left Behind" legislation, all states are required
to participate in NAEP. Beginning with the 2002-2003 school
year, all schools in Illinois that are part of the sample
drawn by the National Center for Education Statistics shall
administer the biennial State academic assessments of 4th
and 8th grade reading and mathematics under NAEP.

NAEP demonstration sample question booklets for reading and mathematics
assessments are available for grades 4, 8 and 12. These booklets contain a description of each assessment, assessment directions, background questionnaires, and sample questions.

The NAEP Questions Tool provides easy access to NAEP questions, student responses, and scoring guides that are released to the public since 1990. These released NAEP questions are available for grades 4, 8, and 12 in the various subject areas.

The NAEP Data Explorer allows the public to analyze NAEP results by subject area over time for the nation, states, and other jurisdictions. The public is able to create their own unique reports from the NAEP Data Explorer.

NAEP Overview

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also
known as "The
Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative
and continuing assessment of what America's students know
and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments
have been conducted periodically in reading, mathematics,
science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and the
arts.

NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools;
instead, it offers results regarding subject-matter achievement,
instructional experiences, and school environment for populations
of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and subgroups of those
populations (e.g., female students, Hispanic students). NAEP
results are based on a sample
of student populations of interest.

National NAEP

National NAEP reports information for the nation and specific
geographic regions of the country. It includes students drawn
from both public and nonpublic schools and reports results
for student achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12.

These assessments follow the Frameworks developed by the National Assessment
Governing Board (NAGB), and use the latest advances in
assessment methodology. For example, NAEP assessments include
a large percentage of constructed-response questions and questions
that require the use of calculators and other materials. Innovative
types of questions have been used in assessments such as the
arts (theatre, music, and visual arts) and science to measure
students' ability to perform hands-on tasks.

State NAEP

Since 1990, NAEP assessments have also been conducted on
the state level. Participating states receive assessment results
that report on the performance of students in that state.
In its content, the state assessment is identical to the assessment
conducted nationally. However, because the national NAEP samples
were not, and are not currently designed to support the reporting
of accurate and representative state-level results, separate
representative samples of students are selected for each participating
jurisdiction/state.

Long-Term Trend

NAEP long-term trend assessments are designed to give information
on the changes in the basic achievement of America's youth.
They are administered nationally and report student performance
at ages 9, 13, and 17 in mathematics, science, reading and
grades 4, 8, and 11 in writing. Measuring trends of student
achievement or change over time requires the precise replication
of past procedures. Therefore, the long-term trend instrument
does not evolve based on changes in curricula or in educational
practices.

Special Studies

In addition to the assessments, NAEP coordinates a number
of special educational studies related to assessment. Ongoing
projects include the High School Transcript Study and a Technology-Based
Assessment project designed to explore the use of technology,
especially the use of the computer as a tool to enhance the
quality and efficiency of educational assessments

Administration of State NAEP

Each participating state is responsible for the data collection in the state. To carry out this responsibility, the Illinois State Board of Education has appointed Andy Metcalf as the NAEP State Coordinator.

School Participation in NAEP

The National Center for Education Statistics selected over 600 schools in Illinois to participate in the 2015 NAEP assessment. Each selected school has access to a secure website called MyNAEP and access to the NAEP help desk at 1-800-283-6237. The MyNAEP website contains school-specific information and useful facts about what to expect during the assessment process.

NAEP Information for Parents

If your child has been asked to participate in NAEP, you will find answers to parents' commonly asked questions in these new pages. To learn more about the importance of the NAEP program and exactly what participation means for your child please visit http://www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/. In addition, you can see many examples of the types of questions your child will be asked in a NAEP assessment. You can also explore your state's performance on past assessments, ask further questions, and submit comments.

NAEP Information for School Coordinators for 2017 Assessments (11/23/16)

In the fall, school coordinators are responsible for the following:

In December, the NAEP representative responsible for administering NAEP in your school will contact school coordinators and discuss how to complete the following tasks listed under the Prepare for Assessment menu:

Reviewing student information and preparing for the assessment of students with disabilities and English language learners (SD/ELL).

On the assessment date, you will meet your NAEP representative and assessment team, and be responsible for the following:

NAEP Resources

No Child Left
BehindOn January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into
law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act is the most
sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA) since ESEA was enacted in 1965. It is based on
four basic principles: stronger accountability for results,
increased flexibility and local control, expanded options
for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have
been proven to work.

NCES Classroom
This site contains math and science games, activities, fun facts and educational information for kids and adults.